terse: [17] Terse originally meant ‘polished, smooth’ (‘This man … so laboured upon it that he left it smooth and terse’, Helkiah Crooke, Description of the Body of Man 1615). By the 18th century, however, the associated notion of ‘neatness’ had led on to ‘neatly concise’. The word’s present-day negative connotations of ‘brusqueness’ seem to be a comparatively recent development. It was borrowed from tersus, the past participle of Latin tergēre ‘wipe’ (source also of English detergent). => detergent
terse (adj.)
1590s (implied in tersely), "clean-cut, burnished, neat," from French ters "clean," and directly from Latin tersus "wiped off, clean, neat," from past participle of tergere "to rub, polish, wipe." Sense of "concise or pithy in style or language" is from 1777, which led to a general sense of "neatly concise." The pejorative meaning "brusque" is a fairly recent development. Related: Terseness.
中文解释
1. 特务死去简洁的说法是terse.2. detergent => terse.3. Terse originally meant 'polished, smooth'.4. the associated notion of 'neatness' had led on to 'neatly concise'.
实用例句
1. His tone was terse as he asked the question.
他提问时语气生硬。
来自柯林斯例句
2. The President issued a terse statement denying the charges.
总统发表了一份简短的声明，否认那些指控。
来自《权威词典》
3. Her reply about the matter was terse.
她对此事的答复简明扼要.
来自《简明英汉词典》
4. An example of her modus operandi was provided during a terse exchange with the defendant.
与被告的简短交流体现了她独特的办事方式。
来自柯林斯例句
5. He issued a terse statement, saying he is discussing his future with colleagues before announcing his decision on Monday.
